


The Importance of First Impressions

by Angel207, SAYS



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 01:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15037886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel207/pseuds/Angel207, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SAYS/pseuds/SAYS
Summary: For Susan -- First days are always difficult, but when Tonks is paired with the highly decorated, but notoriously tough Mad Eye Moody, she knows she’s going to have to be at the top of her game if she’s going to impress him. Or at the very least, not embarrass herself.***Written for SAYS Facebook Fic Exchange***





	The Importance of First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> This was such a fun prompt and I had so much fun writing it. I haven’t written a lot of Tonks or Moody before so I really hope you enjoy it!

“NYMPHADORA TONKS!” A shrill voice pierced the silence.”GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED NOW OR YOU’LL BE LATE.”

“Wha... alright, alright… don’t get your knickers in a twist.” Tonks grumbled as she reached a hand out to swat the snooze button on the offending alarm clock. The magical alarm clock hopped to the left to avoid being hit.

“My ‘knickers’ are most decidedly NOT in a twist. However, this is the fourth time you’ve hit snooze. It is time to get up.” The voice, which sounded remarkably similar to her great aunt Walburga’s, snapped at her. As Tonks tried to bury her head under her pillow, the snooty voice continued. “Get up now or I’ll be forced to summon your mum.”

“You wouldn’t.” Tonks sat up in horror. Her bubblegum pink hair stood out in all directions as she reached once again for the clock. It moved nimbly just out of reach. 

“I would.”

“You monster.” Trying to swing her feet over the side of the bed, she got tangled in her bedsheets as she stretched out to make another grab for the clock.

“I’m no monster, you lazy heathen.” 

Tonks tumbled face first out of bed with her feet still twisted in the sheets on her bed. She groaned and took one last swipe at the insolent object. 

“This is what I get for accepting a gift from my mum.” Freeing herself from the bedding, Tonks got to her feet and stumbled sleepily into the bathroom. “I’m going to transfigure you into a bedpan and drop you off at St Mungo’s.” She muttered, no real heat in her words.

“You’ll do no such thing.” The saucy timepiece snapped. “Your mother has placed a number of protective spells on me. Almost as though she expected exactly this type of behaviour from you.”

Turning on the water for the shower, Tonks asked, “What time is it anyway?”

“5:54.”

“WHAT?” Tonks shut the water off and darted out of the bathroom. She snatched up the clock and stared at it in horror for a few seconds before tossing it on the bed. She reaching for her wand that still sat on the bedside table. “I have to be there at six. ’m going to be so late. Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

The reply was muffled by the bedding but Tonks was fairly certain her mum hadn’t charmed the clock to use _that_ type of language.

With a few waves of her wand, she was dressed and presentable for her first day of on the job training and she darted to the fireplace to grab a handful of floo powder.

“Ministry of Magic.”

*****

“Constant vigilance!” The deep gravelly voice of Mad Eye Moody barked out as he paced back and forth in front of the small group of trainees in the Aurors department’s small conference room. Each of the new Aurors seemed impossibly young to the seasoned veteran. “It’s the only thing you need to know to be successful in this line of work. You can learn all the magic, you can sort out all the clues and you can do all the hard work but without vigilance, it’ll all be for nought.”

“Each of you has been assigned to one of our top Aurors to watch and will learn while they go through the rigors of the job on a day to day basis. You’ll learn as you go and they’ll be able to guide you through what is expected of you. You’ve all been through the three years of training and I’m sure you think you know it all by now, but you’ll learn more in these next few weeks than you could ever learn in a bloody classroom.”

The door to the room burst open and a slender young woman with flamingo pink hair tripped into the room, just barely managing to stay on her feet. 

“Sorry. Sorry. Blasted alarm clock didn’t go off.” She muttered as she hurried to stand by the others. Despite being late to her first day on the job, Alastor was quick to note that she didn’t appear as nervous as the rest of her classmates. She had an aura of confidence that would do well in this line of work.

“You’re late.” Moody consulted the list of names on the table beside him, while his magical eye stayed focused on her. “You’d be Nymphadora Tonks, then?” His voice stern.

“Just Tonks. Yes, sir.” She corrected him. Her voice was steady and her gaze locked with his. 

“Nymphadora,” He smirked as she visibly cringed when he used her first name. “I think you’ll be shadowing me for the next few days. Be on time or you’ll be looking for a new profession.” 

“Um… Yes sir.” 

“The rest of you lot, your assignments are on this list and the Aurors are out by their desks waiting for you.” He tossed the clipboard of names onto the table and nodded at Tonks. “My office. Now.”

To her credit, she didn’t seem nervous at all as she nodded and calmly left the room ahead of him. 

 

“Being late is not acceptable, young lady. Why shouldn’t I just send you on your way?” He barked as he shut the office door behind them. 

“Because you’d be missing out on a great addition to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.” She responded confidently. “Besides if you insist on having meetings at six in the morning, people are bound to be late. That’s a ridiculous time of day.”

“Once you are the one in charge of training the lot of inexperienced, young Aurors, you will be able to determine the meeting times. Until then, how about you just show up when you’re supposed to?” Moody would never admit it but he was having a difficult time keeping the stern look on his face. Her assuredness in the face of his most terrifying scowl (or so he’d been told) was just this side of hilarious.

“Alright, alright.” Tonks made no attempt to hide her eye roll. Then without missing a beat she glanced down at the files that littered his messy desk. “So what are we investigating today?”

“ _I_ am investigating a string of robberies in Chelsea. _You_ are observing.” Moody stated wryly.

“Right,” she began in a dismissive tone as she opened the thick folder and began to read through the papers. “But let’s say I wasn’t just observing, what do you have so far?”

“You’re going to be a pain in the arse, aren’t ya?” He grumbled with a sigh. Moody snatched the folder up and began to flip through it. He pulled a series of crime scene photos out and laid them in front of the new recruit. “

“Over the last six months, there have been a string of break ins around the Chelsea area. Seven so far. The targets are some of Wizarding Britain’s wealthiest. Only one item is removed from each home. A piece of art of some sort that is worth a substantial amount, but it’s never the most expensive item the person owns.” Pointing at one photo, he continued. “The Bancrofts were relieved of a carved wooden box that was crafted by a local artist.It was valued at approximately 10,000 galleons. A tidy sum to be sure, but the Monet, which was hanging three meters away, was left untouched. The same type of thing in each home.”

“And that’s the only item removed?” Tonks asked as she flipped through the photos. She could see the priceless art left behind in each home. She furrowed her brow and without looking up from the photos, she asked, “How does the thief gain entry?”

“We’ve yet to discover any method of entry.” Moody grumbled. He had never enjoyed being stumped by a case but this one was maddening. “Apparation detection spells and floo tracking charms have found nothing but the homeowners comings and goings.”

“Portkeys?”

“No trace of one being used at any of the locations.”  
“Any other trace left behind?”

“The forensic wizards have yet to turn up so much as a single fingerprint or fiber that can’t be accounted for. Hell, even my eye hasn’t detected a single thing out of place.”

“Have you checked to see if it could possibly be a muggle who just happens to be the most clever and the luckiest muggle to ever live?” Tonks asked, knowing the chances were slim.

“‘Course I have.” Alastor sounded slightly insulted at the suggestion of him missing something so basic. “No signs of a muggle break in have been detected either. No broken glass. No doors have been tampered with. Besides no muggle could get past the security spells in place in each home.”

Tonks nodded. She hadn’t really thought a muggle would be able to pull something like this off, but she wanted to be sure to cover all the different angles.

“Best I can come up with is that someone with access to all of these homes is stepping in, disabling the complex anti theft hexes (which are different in each home, mind you) and picking up something that they fancy and then stepping back out again without leaving a single bloody trace.”

With a grim nod, Tonks continued to read through the many reports and notes that Moody had made on the case. Each family that was targeted was incredibly wealthy but other than that, there was very little they had in common. Quentin Lancaster was a retired quidditch star, Talia Sutton was a popular movie star and Xavier Pritchard was a powerful businessman. There was also a muggleborn politician, a Spanish duke, an American musician, and a family of old money; the Malfoys.

Hours passed in near silence as the experienced Auror and the trainee spent time going through the files. The occasional question or theory was brought up and discussed but until late morning they hadn’t really discovered anything new. 

The early morning was starting to catch up with her, so Tonks decided to run out to grab a couple coffees for them so she could stretch her legs. The newstand just down the street from the Ministry made terrible coffee as well, thick enough and strong enough to likely mend the many potholes in the street next to them.

“Wotcher Lachlan.” Tonks smiled at the man running the newsstand. “Two black coffee to go please.” 

“‘Lo Tonks! Yer here early today. Thought ya didn’t like to be up before noon?” The short stocky man grinned at her as he turned to pour the coffees.

“I don’t like to be, but apparently early mornings are something I’m going to have to get used to.” She tossed a couple sickles on the cart as she reached out to grab the coffees. In all actuality, she should have been prepared for the hot cups but for whatever reason it took her by surprise and she fumbled them for a moment before dumping the contents of both cups down onto a stack of the Daily Prophets. “Oh Merlin, I’m so sorry! I’ll pay for those.”

She reached down to grab the top few copies of the Prophet that had been soaked with the hot coffee. The older couple on the front page photo looked up at the clumsy witch in anger. Their formal wear was drenched through and the gentleman made a decidedly un-gentlemanly gesture at Tonks while a realization washed over her. She dropped the papers and tossed down another handful of coins before darting off. “Sorry, Lachlan, I have to go.Sorry about the mess!”

Rushing back to Moody’s office, Tonks burst in and rifled through the pages while Alastor stared at her in a puzzled silence. “I thought so.” She muttered.

“You planning on sharing?” He inquired.

“Each of the families attended some sort of function the night they were robbed. Several of them were charity events but they were all invited to something to get them out of the house.” She began. “All of the events were arranged by Delphinia Davison.”

“So you think that this Delphinia Davison has something to do with this?” Moody sounded skeptical. Understandably so. Delphinia ran the largest event planning company in all of Wizarding London.

“I think we have to at least talk to her and possibly dig into her financials. Find out more about her.”

“What makes you think she’ll have any information?”

“She, or her company at least, is the only link between all the victims. We need to at least consider her, no matter how successful her little party business is.” Tonks’ face flushed in frustration as she waited for her partner’s answer. She couldn’t believe that an Auror as quick and astute as Moody was about to dismiss something so critical as this without even considering it.

“You’re right, Nymphadora.”

“Tonks” She corrected automatically.

“I’ve actually already dug into her past and her financials.” Moody let a small grin out at the exasperated expression on the younger Auror’s face. 

“Then why didn’t you tell me that already.”

“Because you’re still learning, and I needed to see if you were as quick as you seemed.” Moody explained. “We haven’t talked to her yet because I believe that she’s the thief's fence. Her financial records revealed some large deposits a day or two after the robberies. We’ve got her under surveillance.” He glanced at his watch before casting a grin at her.  
“In fact, we’re due to check in with the team on stake out shortly. You up for it? Or would ya rather bitch and moan that I made you figure a few things out on your own?”

“Shut up.” Tonks grumbled as she cast a begrudging smile at him.

Moody laid a hand on her shoulder and apparated them to the stake out. They appeared in a large living room that was definitely outside the typical budget of the entire Auror’s department. The huge room was filled with lavish furnishings and luxurious extravagances. The two Aurors who were on duty, looked woefully out of place in the ostentatious space.

They had set up a couple of dining room chairs by the big windows and their equipment was laid out around them. Tonks could see several take out containers strewn about and more than a few coffee cups laying on the floor by their feet. While Moody consulted with them for a few minutes, Tonks waved her wand to rid the filth from the space before taking a seat in one of the chairs. 

She glanced through the camera set up that was in place. She could see a petite woman with short blonde hair dressed in a form fitting, knee length, navy dress with capped sleeves and a scoop neckline. The dress was worth more than Tonks’ salary for an entire month.

“Dobbins said that she’s been in her home all day. No visitors. A few floo conversations but only one of note.” Moody informed her as he joined her at the chairs. The other Aurors stood nearby.

“You’ve got an auscultatio spell in place then?” Tonks referred to an eavesdropping spell that was heavily regulated by the Ministry.

“Well, strictly speaking, that’d be illegal without express permission from the Head Auror, but apparently this muggle contraption lets us hear what she’s saying. The Ministry is a little more lax on the use of muggle devices.” Moody admitted, with a chuckle from the other Aurors interrupting him somewhat. “This thing is called a parabolic microphone and the magic interferes with it somewhat, so we can’t hear the other side of the conversation but at least it gives us an idea of what's going on.”

“What was her side of the conversation then?” Tonks asked, not bothered in the slightest by the potentially illegal and decidedly shady aspects of this surveillance mission.

Moody pulled out his wand and the audio began to play.

“...you have the item then?” A short silence filled the air before the sharp feminine voice filled the air again, “Yes, of course. My client has agreed to your price.” Another silence. “This afternoon then. The Ledbury at two?”

“So we’re going to head to the restaurant to see who she’s meeting.” Moody commented as the call ended.

“Auror Moody, if you wanted to treat me to lunch, all you had to do was ask.” Tonks replied cheekily.

“It’s not on my sickle, what do I care?” He shrugged begrudgingly.

“Sickle?” Tonks laughed. “If we’re dining at The Ledbury, it’ll be a lot more than a sickle. Although, I don’t think we’ll be sitting in the dining room. If we’re lucky we’ll be able to spot them from the kitchen.”

“Why would we have to watch from the kitchens?” Moody look truly puzzled by her comment.

“The Ledbury is an incredibly popular and ridiculously trendy restaurant. If we called today, we’d be lucky to get a table by next Christmas. And even then, we’d likely have to make some crazy bribes to make that happen.” Tonks explained. She didn’t grow up extremely wealthy, but she was still a member of the infamous Black family so she was aware of the way things worked in those circles. “Besides, I don’t think you’d fit in there in that get up.” She commented on his usual Auror attire.

“What about you? You’re not exactly going to blend in.” He waved a hand at her rather casual outfit of jeans and tshirt. 

With a wink, Tonks transfigured herself into an entirely new person. Her pink hair turned a golden brown and wound its way into an elegant knot at the back of her head. Her dark brown eyes shimmered for a moment before lightening and turning a pale green. Her jeans and tshirt began to morph as well into a trendy skirt and frilly blouse that were more than appropriate for the fancy restaurant. 

“Show off.” Moody muttered. “No need to get all gussied up, we’re heading for the kitchen anyway I suppose.”

With a shake of her head and a laugh, Tonks was reverted back to her original look. Her bright pink hair shaking free of the loose knot and tumbled down to brush her shoulders. 

After apparating to Ledbury Road, the pair of them entered the trendy restaurant and were immediately greeted by an obviously distraught maitre’d. The nameplate on his desk read Markus Armisted. 

The man was tall and wiry with a perfectly disheveled head of dark brown hair. His dark eyes darted back and forth between them in something akin to horror. He quickly tried to usher them out.

“No. I’m sorry but no.” He took both Aurors by the arm to steer them toward the door. “We have a certain dress code here that neither of you are adhering to. You’ll have to go.”

Moody pulled his arm out of the younger man’s grasp. “Listen here…”

“Do you have a reservation?” The maitre’d snapped at them.

Moody blinked in surprise, “Well, no… but that’s what I…”

“There is a McDonalds down a few blocks. I’m sure you’ll feel much more comfortable there. They don’t have a dress code and they’re much more suited to serving… “ He sniffed in distasted. “your sort there.”

Tonks whipped her head around to glare at the man. “Our sort?” She practically snarled at him. “You mean, poor? Or did you mean law enforcement officers? You know, the ‘sort’ who could arrest you for obstructing an investigation? Is that the ‘sort’ you’re referring to?”

There was a beat of silence as the man looked at her, startled.

“I just meant that our reservations are booked months in advance and that we wouldn’t be able to squeeze you in…” He stammered, somehow still sounding rather snooty.

“We are not here to eat, you ridiculous little ferret. We are here on business.” Moody growled before explaining the situation. “We are in the middle of an important investigation that has led us here. We are going to hide in your kitchen, and stay out of the way. Once we have the information that we need, we’ll be on our way.” 

“Or I’d be more than happy to take you in for obstruction of justice and my partner here will still stay here to do exactly what he says. Your choice.” Tonks stated with a smug grin.

The man sighed heavily. “Fine, but stay out of the way and don’t disturb the staff.”

He led them to a large set of swinging doors that led to the kitchen. The room wasn’t huge but it was incredibly organized and the kitchen staff seemed to be in the middle of an intricate dance around each other. It was a dance they were clearly well practiced in. 

The barrel chested chef stopped the rapid fire chopping he had been doing when they came in to bark angrily at the maitre’d in french when he spotted them. The large chef’s knife in his hand waved around the air furiously as he argued with the maitre’d. He was definitely not happy with the new additions to his kitchen but after a little conversation, he glared at Tonks and Moody before turning back to his work.

The maitre’d turned back to them and pointed at a tiny space by the swinging doors. “Stand there. In front of the left door. Look out the window if you must but please stay out of sight as much as possible. Our patrons are here to enjoy an exquisite lunch, not be ogled at by a pair of beat cops.”

Tonks bit her lip to stop herself from retorting, instead she nodded curtly at the man before he departed. She and Moody moved to take position in front of the door. Moody stood to the inside, his hip resting against the stainless steel countertop next to the dishwasher. Tonks slid in beside him, her shoulder pressed against his.

“Cozy.” She muttered. Moody shot her a wry grin as they began their wait. 

The restaurant was filled with movement and voices as the lunch rush began. The other door beside them was constantly swinging back and forth as waiters bustled about carting food that smelled as though it was brought down directly from heaven. 

After an hour of waiting, Tonks spotted their target entering the dining room. Delphinia Davidson. The woman was seated at a cozy table for two near the window. Tonks shifted to look at Moody. 

Unfortunately, just as she shifted, a busboy carrying a tray of empty glasses pushed the other door open and it collided with Tonks’ arm. The glasses on the tray teetered for what seemed like an eternity before finally pinwheeling off to crash to the floor. 

Tonks’ jaw dropped and she moved a step back to get out of the way but only managed to bump directly into the sous chef who was carrying a very full, hot pan.The sous chef dropped the pan on the floor and a rich creamy sauce exploded out in all directions. 

“Merlin’s beard.” Tonks muttered as she moved away from that mess into the only space she could. 

The exact space Mad Eye Moody was standing. 

Her back slammed into his with enough force to send him careening into the dining room with her doing an awkward somersault in right behind him.

“What the bloody hell?” Moody grumbled. He had only just remained on his feet. He reached down to grab her arm in order to help her to her feet. All eyes in the dining room were on the pair of them. 

Tonks glanced toward Delphinia and could see that the woman recognized Mad Eye Moody. The man was a well known, and well respected Auror. And he was very recognizable. There weren’t many people who could manage to pull off a magical eye, facial scars, and a wooden leg. 

She knew that she had blown their cover and they needed to act quickly or they’d never find the thief. So without consulting Moody, she stepped toward the event planner.

“Ms. Davidson, I’m so sorry to bother you, but this is a very…” She glanced around as if looking for anyone eavesdropping. “delicate matter. Could we speak with you in private? It won’t take but a moment.”

Delphinia glanced at her watch and nodded curtly. She seemed less than thrilled to have her day interrupted by a bumbling pair of Aurors, but she followed them to a private room just off the dining room. As Moody shut the door behind them, he seemed puzzled by what his trainee was up to but was letting it play out.

“Petrificus totalus.” Tonks muttered with her wand aimed at the event planner.

“Nymphadora, what the bloody hell are ya playing at?” Moody grumbled.

“Our cover is blown. If we let her out of this room, she’s going to the thief and we’ll never catch them. We have no leads, no clues. This is our only shot.”

“What’s your plan then?” He asked, curious if she had actually thought that far in advance. 

Tonks didn’t respond but just began to transform. Her hair shortened and lightened to a golden blonde bob. Her eyes narrowed and turned a dark blue while her nose narrowed slightly and her lips thinned. Her body shifted too. Her height decreasing while her hips and chest broadened slightly. After a few moments, Moody was stood before two Delphinia Davidsons.

“Not bad.” He said as he appraised her new look. Trying to spot any differences between the original Delphinia and Tonks. He had to admit, they were identical. “You think you can pull off this meeting?”

“I know I can.” Tonks responded confidently.

“Then go. Do not blow this. This is our only chance and we need solid evidence.”

Tonks nodded before picking up the other woman’s purse and strolling back out to the dining room with a purposeful stride. She sat at the table Delphinia had been seated at, and nodded at the sommelier.

“Ms Davidson, I do hope everything is alright?” The maitre’d came over and asked anxiously.

“Yes, yes everything is fine. Thank you, Markus.” She replied dismissively. 

As her glass of wine was poured, Tonks noticed a tall man enter the restaurant. It would’ve been impossible not to to notice him as he wore a peacock blue satin suit jacket over dark wash jeans and a pair of sneakers. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. His chestnut brown hair was artfully tousled and his hazel eyes sparkled with amusement as he chatted up a pretty redhead before turning his attention to the dining room. His gaze locked on Tonks and he headed her way. 

She immediately recognized him as Finn Lancaster, star chaser for the Chudley Cannons. He was in the papers almost daily, with a new woman on his arm in each photo. In the few moments that she’d recognized him, she was quick to realize that the rumours of his arrogance and over the top flirtatious reputation were absolutely true. 

He was also the son of Quentin Lancaster. One of the victims in this case.

Tonks puzzled on that for several moments. Could the thief actually be related to one of the victims? That would explain how he gained access to the Lancaster home, but what about all the others.

“Delphinia, cupcake, you are looking absolutely radiant.” He took her hand and planted a soft kiss on the back of it. His eyes never leaving hers. 

Tonks suppressed the urge to yank her hand away. Instead she smiled back, “Mr Lancaster. It's lovely to see you again.”

“My sweet, how many times must I insist that you call me Finn.”

“Of course, Finn.” She forced the smile to remain on her face. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice now did I, Angeldove?” He commented with a laugh as he took his seat. The maitre’d brought over menus to each of them before Finn continued. “When mother wants to host the charity event of the season, we all have to play our part.”

Finn’s mother, Diana was known for her many fundraising efforts for a number of charitable organizations. Her gala event each spring was known by everyone as _the_ place to be. 

“Of course. Mrs Lancaster is truly a remarkable and generous woman. How can I help?” Tonks asked.

Finn flipped open his menu as he began to discuss the type of event that his mother was hoping to host in a few weeks and was clearly looking to hire Delphinia to plan the party.

Following his lead, she opened her menu as well. The first thing she noticed was a tiny scrap of paper in the bottom right corner. 

_Aurors are on to us. Drop is still on but we must be careful. It’ll be in coat check room with your coat and bag. I expect the galleons will be transferred as usual._

As she lifted her eyes from the menu, she noticed the maitre’d trying to catch her eye. He nodded at her and she hesitated only for a second before returning the nod. It was all that she could do to listen to Lancaster talk about some extravagant charity function for a few minutes. 

After their meals were ordered, Tonks excused herself to the ladies room. She darted into the private room that Moody was still waiting in with the real Delphinia. 

“The maitre’d is the thief. He left a note in the menu for me… or her I guess, but the hand off is happening after lunch in the coat room.”

“How would he get access to the homes? Or disable their security spells?” Moody asked.

“Delphinia here must have been doing that part of it and he’s pulling off the actual job. Maybe she’s more than just the fence.” Tonks suggested. Her eyes slid over to the real Delphinia whose own eyes were wide and panicked.

“She’d be able to gain access to the homes because she’s working for the homeowners. She’s handling millions of galleons for them so she’d be trusted.” Moody nodded “Try to make lunch as quick as you can without arousing suspicion.” 

“Not a problem. I’ll be glad to get this meeting over with.”

Making her way back to the table, Tonks took her seat across from the insufferable Finn Lancaster. 

“Sugarplum, the day seems brighter once again now that you’re back. Like the clouds have cleared and the sun can once again shine bright.” Finn commented. His eyes sparkling with mirth. 

He was a buffoon, but he was a harmless buffoon.

After a decadent meal and coffee, Finn and Tonks stood from their table and Tonks agreed to contact him shortly with ideas on the event he was planning. He bowed deeply and kissed her hand once more before making his exit.

Tonks turned to make her way to the coat check room. She had the ticket for Delphinia’s things in hand. She smiled at the young redheaded attendant as the maitre’d stepped into the room.

“Alannah, you can take your break now. I’ll get Ms Davidson’s things for her.” He snapped at the young woman.

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Mark.” She smiled politely before leaving quickly.

Tonks handed her ticket to Markus and he turned to hand her a coat and handbag. And another small bag. Chancing a quick peak inside, she spotted the carved wooden box that had been taken from the Bancrofts residence a few week before.

“You’ll transfer the galleons?” He asked anxiously.

“How much was it again?” Tonks queried.

“Don’t start trying to renegotiate now, Delphinia. It's the same as its been every time.” His eyes narrowed as he snapped at her.

“Relax, I’m not trying to renegotiate anything.” Tonks commented. “I’m just trying to keep you distracted so my partner could get behind you.” She reverted back to her normal appearance as the man turned to spot Mad Eye Moody standing behind him with his wand at the ready.

Several quick spells later, Armisted and Davidson were both immobilized and seated in two separate interrogation rooms in the Aurors office. Moody knew from experience that getting the pair of them to talk likely wouldn’t be difficult once he offered a deal to the first one to confess and roll on the other. 

Armisted was the first to break. Admitting that he did the leg work but that Davidson had been the brains behind the whole operation. Her work had indeed given her almost unlimited access to the houses of those she worked for and what info she hadn’t been able to gather from the homeowners themselves, she had bullied from the servants.

Her business contacts had also given her access to some more morally ambiguous characters who were more than happy to purchase the items once they were taken.

Even with the deal for Armisted in place, both criminals would be facing a long sentence in Azkaban.

“Still want to fire me for being late this morning?” Tonks asked Moody with a grin as the criminals were escorted to a holding cell before being transported to the wizarding prison.

“What? And miss out on a great addition to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?” Moody chuckled. “I supposed you did an alright job ‘observing’ today. Might as well keep you around to see what happens when you actually do some investigating.”


End file.
